The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1887-12-07
The Fuel of the Future.

The effects of the introduction of nat
ural gas as fuel are likely TO be more gen.
eral and radical than was at first thought
possible. 1t now seems 10 be improbable
that solid fuel will ever again be used in
places where natural gas has been tried,
or that coal will be used in It's original
form in any section Of the country where
it is accessible and cheap. The fact has
been demonstrated that fuel gas is super
ior in all respects to coal in all processes
of manufacture; first, in producing
better article; second, in giving more
perfect combustion and consequently
less " ste of heat and power; third, in
a vast economy in time and wages of
labor and fourth, in ease of manipula-
ton and certainty of results. Fuel gas,
consequently, will be cheaper than coal
in all industrial processes, even where
the price of the former exceeds that Of
the coal by half. 1t is an admitted fact
that there has cen a prudigal waste of
heat and Of power in our method of con
suming coal, even under the most favor
able circumstances, and that, with fur
naces properly constructed, there need
be no such loss where fuel gas is used
This fact being accepted as ta5lished
the question comes, up. from what sub
stance can fuel gas be best md most
cheaply made? Much has been written
on the eheapness of fuel gas made upon
water; and little while ago the state
ment was telegraphed all over the coun-
try that an Ohio man had discovered a
process by which he could manufacture
half a million feet of superior fuel gas
from barrel of petroleum and still have
by-products worth as much as the petro-
leum in its original form. But nothing
more has been heard from this wonder
full genius or his remarkable discovery,
and il is likely he was mistaken. Water
gas, so called, has to be made partly from
coke, with the accompanying waste of
force incident to the conversion of coal
into that coke, thus adding largely to the
cost of the gas Experts estimate that
the amount of petroleum at present pro-
iuced would, when turned into gas, suf-
fieient to supply about three cities like
Pittsburg with fuel, and no more. With
petroleum thus used for fuel gas, the
H.. IL.
become ,arctical!y prohibitory. The de-
mand for refined oil as an illuminant is
steadily growing, and it fills so impor-
tant an office in that field that we can
not think of having it diverted to other
purposes. Water gas and petroleum gas
being out of question, it is settled that
the fuel gas of the future must be made
from coal, and recent discoveries render
it possible TO manufacture a first class
article from either anthracite or hitumin
ous coal, and from either lump coal or
coal waste, the supply of which in all the
older mining districts is practically in
exahustible.
A radical revolution in the fuei bust
ness of the country is, therefore we be-
lieve, near at hand 1t see ms to us to be
likely that within the next five years all
considerable centers of population now
denpending upon coal as fuel will be
burning fuel gas manufactured from coal,
each city or town having its plaht and
system of distribution. IL is probable
that coal gas as an illuminant will give
way to electricity, which is gradually be-
ing so improved and cheapened as will
in time render it preferable to gas, while
the pipes now used TO convey the gas to
consumers will serve 10 supply them
with better and more convenient fuel
than they have ever known In the
event of all this coming about, the manu-
facturers of fuel gas will occupy the same
position toward its consumers that the
spinners of wool and cotton do to the
manufacturers OF fabrics from these sta
Piles. They will take the coal in its
crude form, concentrate its heat pro-
ducing powers. to deprive it of all its use
less constituents, and serve it ready for
use in shape calculated to give the best
possible result. To some this my appear
to be super sanguine view, but time,
we think, will demonstrate that we are
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